Family Matters
by Miko xD
Summary: Misaki and Takumi have been married for about a year. But Misaki's got a secret and Takumi is starting to catch on. What is it? And what'll happen when Misaki tells him?
1. Prologue

_Misaki wasn't sure what she should say. She stared dumbfounded at the ring before her. Takumi waited. There were several seconds of awkward silence. Takumi knew he had been rejected and sighed, but before he could close the box, Misaki jumped on him in a bone-crushing hug. Not expecting it, she knocked him to the ground. He held her tightly to his chest, smiling, and bent his head to whisper into her ear._

_"Pres? Is that a yes?"_

_Instead of responding, she leaned back from the hug and pressed her lips forcefully to his. It only lasted a second, but she turned her head embarrassed. Burying her face in his t-shirt, she mumbled something into his chest._

_"hmm? I can't hear you, Pres?"_

_She snapped her head up quickly and looked him in the eyes._

_"I said 'What do you think, you Super-perverted Outer-space Alien?'"_

_He looked at her with that mischievous glint in his eyes. She didn't like the look of that._

_"ooooh, I don't know...." he turned his face away, pouting, "maybe it was a 'no'?" he questioned oh-so-innocently._

_Misaki blushed furiously. She whacked Takumi lightly on the head._

_"That was a 'yes', you idiot!" she yelled in his face._

_He grinned and pulled her into a kiss. Any chance of Misaki's mind forming a coherent thought was gone. It'd flown out the window the moment he knelt down on one knee. When Takumi pulled away slowly, he whispered gently to her._

_"Two more months until graduation. Then you'll be Usui Misaki."_

_Misaki's face was redder than a tomato, but she held onto him for her life._

_"Usui Misaki?" She whispered, "I like the sound of that."_

* * *

That was a little over a year ago. Misaki sat on the living room floor. It was summer, so she'd rolled up the carpets. She lay down on the cool wood and sighed. She didn't have classes today, they were cancelled due to the new kids blowing up the Chemistry Lab and burning the whole third floor along with it. Her work had also been canceled because her boss was out of town for the week. The doctor was surprised when she arrived early for her appointment, but let her in anyways. was never very busy on Mondays. She shivered. The warm breeze that had been blowing through the open window of the apartment was now ice cold. She was scared. She couldn't tell him, but she had to. Misaki curled up, shivering more at the movement of the floorboards beneath her. She lay there for a long time, the tears flowing quietly down her face and eventually fell asleep there.


	2. JUNE: He's Gotta Know

When Takumi returned home, he was not expecting to see the windows open, the lights all off...and his wife curled up on the living room floor. He sighed a breath of relief. For a second he thought she wasn't home. He lifted her up and carried her to the bedroom. He laid her down on the bed and stroked her face gently. Then he noticed his hand was wet. He brushed his thumb under one of her closed eyelids to find that there were still tears in her eyes. Why had she been crying? She'd been awfully sensitive lately. He involuntarily yawned. He turned to the digital clock on the bedside table and finally saw how late it was. Was that why she was crying? Because he was late? Couldn't be. He called earlier to tell her. _Misaki's hiding something. I can tell._ He leaned down and brushed some hair away from her face, only to whisper in her sleeping ear;

"You're a bad liar, Pres."

He got changed into a loose shirt and sweatpants and fell asleep next to Misaki under the bedcovers.

* * *

When Misaki awoke, the next morning, she was surprisingly comfortable. _Funny_, she thought, _I was sure I fell asleep on the floor_. She rolled over on the bed to find the blue comforter was pulled over on the other side. Misaki shot up. When did he get home? Why was she in bed? Was it morning? How long had she been sleeping? Why did her face hurt? Why were all the curtains pulled back? Where was Takumi? She sat slumped with a solemn expression on her face. She slowly brought her right hand to rest gently on her lower stomach. What was she going to do? Memories of an enthusiastic filled her mind. She'd smiled so happily and made Misaki dance in circles with her.

"Good Morning, Pres."

Misaki removed her hand from her abdomen and snapped her head up to see Takumi in the doorway. He was in grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt. The frilly pink apron she'd bought him as a mock birthday gift, hung off his neck. In his hands was a large tray. He smiled.

"Hungry?"

She just nodded and closed her eyes, waiting for him to place the tray beside her. When he did, she slowly opened her eyes. She'd slept a good twelve hours, but she was still sleepy. She sighed softly. Takumi just sat there beside her, watching her. What happened next was so sudden. He panicked when her eyes popped open and she sprang out of the room.

* * *

Misaki sighed. She was about to drift of into La La Land when the smell of Takumi's home-made breakfast, which usually made her ravenous, caused bile to burn it's way up her throat. She sprang out of the bed to the bathroom outside the bedroom. She sunk to her knees next to the toilet where she hurled out her empty stomach. She didn't understand. She hadn't eaten anything since lunch the day before to make sure this wouldn't happen, but the yellow coloured water kept flowing from her mouth. She couldn't breath, her stomach seemed to heave out whatever she had left in her stomach, leaving her feeling hollow.

She was too busy trying to keep her head above the toilet to notice Takumi come in and kneel beside her. He held back her hair with one hand and the other pressed against her stomach to ease the pain as it forcefully pushed everything, or in this case, nothing, out her mouth. After minutes of spitting out saliva and acid, Takumi helped Misaki up to rinse her mouth and brush her teeth. Her legs were like jelly. Then he lifted her up in his arms and carried her back to the bed. He didn't say a word as he brought the tray back to the kitchen to pack the food away in the fridge.

When Takumi returned to the bedroom, Misaki was lying down on top of the covers, her feet dangling off the bed. She had goosebumps everywhere. Something was definitely wrong with her. He knew that much, but what was it? He laid down and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"Pres, what's wrong?"

When she didn't answer, he flipped her onto her back in the middle of the bed. He pinned each of her arms down with his hands and held her struggling legs down with his knees. He looked down at her with his piercing green eyes.

"What. is. wrong?" he asked pleadingly.

As she turned her head away, he yelled,

"Don't avoid the question!"

She snapped her head back only to look straight into his eyes. They were sad, worried, pained.

"Misaki, please, what's wrong?"

Misaki finally opened her mouth for the first time that morning, but it was dry. Her throat was clogged with emotion. She took a shaky breath and managed to whisper half-heartedly;

"Its all your fault."

He looked somewhat stunned. What had he done? Did he even know what he did wrong? When he didn't reply, Misaki got nervous. She didn't know what to do. His grip on her body had gotten much lighter, but she didn't seem to notice. She was scared. When she couldn't take the silence anymore, she blurted out what she hadn't planned on saying yet.

"I'm pregnant, you Alien!"

She flushed and turned her face away. Several moments passed. It was a thick silence that wasn't cut. When she turned her head to look back at him, he was mumbling something as if the words were stuck in his throat. She looked at him pleadingly. Practically begging him not to reject her with her eyes. She stared at him, completely unprepared for what he did next.

Takumi grabbed her face in both hands and captured her lips passionately with his. It took a second to process what he'd done before she grabbed him by the shoulders and kissed back. After a minute, Misaki barely pulled back. They were still fairly close, but far enough for her to ask;

"You're not mad?" she questioned, scared.

"Are you kidding me?" Takumi was shocked, "I'm...I...." he resolved to smiling brightly and kissing her all over again.

He brought his right hand down to gently rub her lower abdomen.

"I...I'm scared." she admitted looking him in the eyes. "I'm not right to be a mother! I yell and scream and dictate and...and...and..."

At this point, she was so immersed in demeaning herself, she was crying. She didn't know what she was supposed to do. Misaki was scared and happy and confused and didn't know what to do. Takumi raised his hand from her abdomen to lightly wiped her tears.

"Hey," he reassured, "You'll be a wonderful mother. Look at you. You're caring, and hardworking, you're compassionate. You always have a positive attitude. There's nothing you can't do."

She was back to bawling her eyes out. Takumi leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers.

"I hope," he said smiling, "that you can give birth to this child, Pres."

All her got from her was a shaky nod before her arms wrapped around his neck in tight embrace.


	3. JULY: School Sucks

"Do you really have to quit, Usui-chan?" the track and field coach asked, "You're our best runner! You'll be back after the summer break right?"

"I'm afraid not, Coach." the said girl explained, "not even after the winter break."

The coach looked suspicious. Usui Misaki had been the most enthusiastic of all the kids when the try-outs were held.

"No one is holding this against you? You don't have an abusive boyfriend, do you?" interrogated the coach curiously.

"What? No, Coach Daryuma. My husband's not abusive." Misaki responded, smiling.

The coach's eyes bulged. "Th..that's the first time I've heard of you being married. He's not threatening you is he?" Daryuma sputtered.

"Of course not!" Misaki retorted taken aback.

"okay, okay. Just checking. So you won't be back?" asked the coach, sighing.

"Nope. Sorry Coach."

* * *

Misaki walked proudly down the hallways. It was like this everyday; the staring, the whispers, the rumors. She had learned to ignore them after the first month or so.

"Look, it's the demon president from Seika!"

"Oh crap! I came here 'cause I didn't think she'd be here!"

"I heard her grades were top notch."

"I heard she seduced the hottest guy in her school."

"No way! I heard she hated guys."

"...then why is there a ring on her finger, ne?"

"...EH!?! Really?!?"

_Shit_, she thought, agitated, _they noticed_. She sprinted down the hallway to get to her locker. Takumi was meeting her outside in a few minutes. If she was late, he'd come find her. I wasn't that she wanted to keep their relationship a secret, but all the girls, some not even, in the culinary program knew of him. Misaki sighed. Everywhere he went, he was extremely popular,_ but_, she thought a little giddily, _he married me_. She grabbed her books and was about to run out the door, when her daily bout of nausea came over her, making her run the other way, towards the bathrooms.

* * *

She was late. Takumi leaned against a tree in the park. He'd been waiting for ten minutes already. She was usually early. He was starting to worry and people were staring at him. If he waited here for too long, the place would get too crowded. He didn't want Misaki to be exposed to too many crowded places. Having her walk around the school alone, without him, was enough for his heart to handle. He squeezed his eyes tightly in restraint and worry. _Another 5 minutes_, he promised himself, _then I'll go get her_.

* * *

Misaki dropped her bag to the tiled floor of the ladies room and rushed into the handicap stall. The sound of her puking out her breakfast echoed off the walls. Misaki was stilled in fear of what would have happened had she not made it to the bathroom in time. She was so caught up in her thoughts, that she didn't hear two girls come into the bathroom.

"Hurry up Sora, we'll be late for class."

"I know, I know, just give me a sec, Ray! I really gotta go pee."

"'kay, I'm waiting outside."

By this time, Misaki was cleaning off her mouth in the handicap stall's sink. She didn't snap out of her reverie until she heard another stall door bang closed. Gotta get out of here! she hurried. She swung open the stall as normally as possible and went to wash her hands at the outside sink to make it look like she had just gone to the bathroom. Dizziness and fatigue swept through her. _This is not the time or place_, Misaki shook it off and walked back towards the stall to grab her bag in the middle of the floor.

As she swung it over her shoulder, the other girl came out of the stall. She was short, around her own height. She had short brown hair that was held up in flower clips. She was wearing a mini-skirt and tank-top, the opposite of Misaki herself was wearing, which was a pair of long jeans and a loose long-sleeved shirt. It seemed as if the girl didn't know she was there. As she washed her hands, Misaki took the opportunity to try and sneak out of the ladies room...which would have worked had the other party not been so engrossed in looking at herself in the mirror.

As Misaki walked passed, another heavy wave of dizziness swept over her. She stopped, leaning her head against the walls of the stalls, putting her right hand to her head to try and stop the throbbing. It wasn't a good move, the girl washing her hands noticed her. After quickly drying off her hands, she came over to Misaki.

"Hey," she asked concerned, "you okay?"

Misaki was suddenly so tired, she couldn't respond, instead waving her left arm lightly in objection. Her vision was starting to blur. She had to get to the park before Takumi came looking for her. She started moving, brushing past the girl to try and get past her, but instead, lost her balance. She ended up passing out on her side on the cold tile floor. The other girl looked really worried. She called out the door to her friend in a panic.

"Ray? Ray! RAYUME GET IN HERE!"

* * *

Takumi walked down hallways of the university. He'd checked by her locker, he'd checked with Sakura and Shizuko, he'd asked the last teacher she'd seen and the one of her fast approaching class. but he couldn't find her anywhere. He was just wandering almost aimlessly, slowly, listening in on conversations, hoping to pick up a snippet of her whereabouts.

"Hey did you see that a few minutes ago? I saw the demon president of Seika being carried to the infirmary!"

Takumi backtraked. They were a few guys, first-years, it seemed.

"Yeah. Two girls from my Physics class were carrying her off. According to them, she collapsed in front of them all of a sudden."

"I also heard she quit the track-and-field team!"

"According to some rumors, she's sick with some deadly disease."

Takumi froze for a second before turning around and darting off towards the infirmary. _Damn it_, he thought frustrated, _what happened?_

* * *

Misaki was lying on one of the white infirmary beds. The brown-haired girl paced back and forth, chewing on her thumb-nail in frustration. Her friend sat on a hard white chair by the bed, leaning her head in her palm, elbow to her knees. She had long black hair, straight. It was tied in a braid. She had dark brown eyes, the same as her friend. As she watched the girl, her face twitched in agitation.

"Sora, are you sure she didn't just faint at the horrid sight of your indecency?" she asked, annoyed.

"Ray, come on. I'm not that badly dressed. Besides, she had already passed out before she got a good look at me." the brown-haired girl replied.

"Well, she better hurry and wake up! We're going to miss our Graphics class." Rayume pouted.

It was relatively silent. The nurse had been sick all week, so no one was there. The two first-years sat, watching the sleeping girl, waiting, when the infirmary door was suddenly slammed open. Sora got up from her spot to see a guy with light-brown hair frantically pulling back the curtains around the beds. She was suddenly glad they were the only ones here. After three-four curtains, he noticed her. The guy jogged over to them at the back of the room and pulled back the curtain. When he saw Misaki lying there, he rushed towards the bed. He checked her heartbeat and temperature. He let out a relieved breath and a smile overcame his face. By now, Sora and Rayume were curious. Why was Usui Takumi, the most popular guy around, in the infirmary checking up on some random girl? They completely freaked out when he kissed the girl's temple before sitting on the side of the bed, holding her hand.

Rayume wondered what she was supposed to do. She looked at Sora, but it was too late, her eyes had gone all lovey-dovey, heart-shaped and everything. Rayume sighed and stood.

"Excuse me, You're Usui-san, right?" she asked politely.

She watched as his face cringed slightly, "you're not one of those fangirls are you?"

She laughed, "I'm not, but she is." Rayume giggled pointing at Sora before taking a few seconds to sober up, "Do you know who she is?"

"My wife." he responded simply.

Rayume could have sworn that if she turned around, she'd have seen Sora choking on her drool in surprise.

"Who is she?" Sora asked, genuinely curious.

Takumi's eyes lit up slightly. They carried a pretty light conversation, most of it was just him answering the girls' questions, most of which he didn't answer. Takumi was pretty into the conversation, but noticed right away when Misaki started gaining consciousness.

* * *

Misaki's hands twitched lightly. She groaned, moving her unoccupied hand to dull the throbbing of her head. Someone else's hand came to rest in her hair, caressing her head. Opening her eyes, she saw the blurry figure of Takumi, light brown hair and worried green eyes easily recognizable. She turned her head to be able to see him a little better.

"Takumi?" she asked, voice hoarse.

He leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers, still stroking her hair.

"Hey there, Pres." he welcomed, "Mind telling me what happened?"

She yawned. He could smell the faint scent of bile from the back of her throat. "Dizziness, cold, nausea." she mentioned, thoughts jumbled. "Where am I?"

"At the university's infirmary, these two girls brought you here after you passed out." he explained, leaning back so she could see. The two of them waved lightly to her and smiled in greeting, but it didn't seem like she'd seen them.

He examined her seriously. "Are you okay?" he asked, "No pain anywhere?"

"I don't think so. I just kinda felt numb. But Dr Tanaka said it was normal, so did my mom." she replied, sitting up.

Takumi hugged her gently, she was still drowsy and her head was still throbbing.

"Takumi," she asked hopefully, "do you have any painkillers?" When she looked up, he looked mad.

"First off, you have no food in you stomach and secondly, what did I say about painkillers? They're not good for your health." he lectured. "Come on, I'm taking you home."

He lifted her up, wrapping her right arm around his shoulders.

"Thank you," Misaki said gratefully to the girls. Her vision still wasn't clear, but she could see a rush of colour in one area where it wasn't white. "Most people would have left me there."

* * *

"Was it really necessary to do that, Takumi?" Misaki asked as Takumi helped her into the car.

"Well I'm not going to leave my pregnant wife alone in a dingy infirmary!"

"I have classes this afternoon and those girls are probably gossip lovers! And because of you, now they know we're married. Now people will be following me around all the time." she groaned.

"'Crowds are not adequate places for pregnant women. It causes the lungs to stress oxygen intake and increases blood pressure.'" Takumi quoted.

Misaki was stunned, "I didn't think you'd actually read all those books you bought. Besides, I'm only 11 weeks along, not long enough for that rule to apply."

"But early enough to miscarry." said Takumi nervously.

Misaki smiled gently. She brushed back his hair as he drove and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Don't worry, I'll be careful. So mention that again and I'll kill you." she assured, "In another month or two, when I really start showing, I'll take my absence from school."

"...and work?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"That I can continue for a while longer." she said.

When he didn't respond, she assumed he'd accepted her decision, though he didn't look too happy at the idea. He sighed.

"I guess we need to start decorating the guest room." He suggested smiling.


	4. AUGUST: Festival with Friends

The university was bustling with people. The August wind blew the colourful leaves through the university windows. The gym was packed with people, Misaki was lucky to find a good seat at the front of the bleachers. Not to mention she was squashed between Sakura and Shizuko. The Ishimoto Lions (basketball team) were playing against the Seika Climbers. Misaki smiled faintly, _guess that some things just don't change, only we're not with Seika University_. She watched as their team filed into the gym. Right in front, was Takumi in the team uniform. Baggy blue shorts with gold lines down the sides and blue jerseys with the picture of a lion in front and their number and name on the back in gold. Misaki had to block her ears as the fangirls behind her started screaming.

"AIIIII! GO USUI!!!!" they shrieked. Misaki was covered in white confetti and white flags with 'Go Usui *heart*' drawn on them fanned her out.

The afternoon sun shined through the high windows of the gymnasium and all the lights were on full blast. As Takumi heard the screeching, he looked over to the bleachers and paled considerably. But it wasn't because of the fangirls. He'd seen Misaki. Panic flickered across his face as he gave her his 'I told you to stay at home' face. He had been really jittery lately. But even though it was better for her health if she had been at home, Takumi felt relived that Misaki was somewhere he could see her. Misaki just gave him a lazy smile and shy wave. He sighed and gave her a relieved wave in return, which was misinterpreted by his fans. The shrieking from behind made Misaki blush and Shizuko started laughing her ass off at the couple's idiocy.

"You know," Shizuko breathed between laughs, "you two act more like shy little kids with crushes than a married couple."

Sakura joined in and giggled. Misaki turned scarlet as she clutched the lower part of her shirt tightly.

"Well, Sakura, how do you act with Kuuga!" she retorted in a soft but strong voice, "and Shizuko, have you ever even had a boyfriend?"

Both girls saw the point in Misaki's statement, but Sakura was the one to respond this time.

"Well," she giggled through the stuffy air, "of course all of us act like that, but...(pause for laughter)...no one ever expected you to act like this. No one even thought you could make such an expression until Takumi-kun came along."

Misaki just groaned and focused her attention back to the starting basketball game in front of her. The screams of love confessions from behind her died down as the first round started. Sakura was practically screaming as she rooted for Takumi. Sakura had agreed to be Misaki's cheerleader, but since she wasn't playing, the least she could do was cheer for her husband. Both Shizuko and Misaki were holding up a relatively small sign that said 'Go Lions Go'. Misaki was enjoying the game very much. For once, she didn't have to worry about being a representative and just had fun.

Nearly an hour into the game came the half-an-hour break. It was easy for Misaki to get away from the crowd, but Takumi took a while to sneak away from all the screaming fan-girls...and some guys. He met up with Misaki in the university courtyard. He approached her from behind and wrapped his arms around the mild bulge of her abdomen. Knowing his presence, Misaki relaxed in his arms, letting him stroke the stretched skin. He lightly kissed her right temple and let go of her.

"So, how the little one doing?" he asked as they sat down under one of the trees. "More importantly, why didn't you stay home?"

"He's doing fine." Misaki sighed. "and I was bored! All I do is sit inside all day. I can at least enjoy the festival."

"..." Takumi didn't know how to respond to that. Well, he had somewhat confined her to the apartment lately. "ehehehehe..." he laughed nervously. "sorry."

It wasn't long before the game resumed and Misaki was back in between Sakura and Shizuko. Once the game was over, Takumi was being pulled around by all sorts of clubs, so Misaki, Sakura and Shizuko decided to take a look around. The three of them walked around the complete campus. They bought food, played games and pretty much anything to entertain themselves. Before they knew it, it was late in the afternoon.

"Hey, guys?" Misaki called to her friends.

They were sitting on a bench in the courtyard, just taking in the breeze. Shizuko had taken it upon herself to study and Sakura was just kinds daydreaming. Both looked over to Misaki when she addressed them.

"Its getting late, so I'm heading off, 'kay?" Misaki waved, standing up. "See you guys later."

Misaki left the two of them on the bench in the courtyard and met up with Takumi in the parking lot. As the two of them drove out of the campus, neither Sakura or Shizuko suspected that this was the last time Misaki would show up to school in a while.


	5. SEPTEMBER Part 1: Home Alone

The calendar was marked with another red x. Misaki sighed. She was almost six months along (22 weeks), September 16. Takumi had gone out early in the morning, telling her he'd be home late. She was bored. She hadn't seen her friends since she'd taken her absence from school. She'd eaten through three tubs of ice cream, finished off the leftover pizza from last night and drank down four glasses of a mix of banana-apple juice and milk. She was showing a lot for 22 weeks. _Maybe it's more than one_. she thought idly, _I'm going to have to make an appointment with Dr Tanaka next week. _

Checking the time, five-thirty in the evening, she sat on the beige suede couch. Takumi had this couch even before he'd met her. She pulled out her latest book, a gory murder mystery and immersed herself in her reading. Takumi was worried her odd habits would influence the baby, but she ignored him. She was still reading a half-hour later, when the doorbell rang. She hurried to open the door, her flowing blue shirt bouncing around her. It was probably her mother. She visited often with Suzuna since she told them that she was pregnant. She hauled open the door a bit and peeked through to see who it was.

Sora, Rayume, Shizuko and Sakura stood silently in the grand hallway of the apartment building.

"Misaki!" Sakura exclaimed upon her opening of the door.

"What are you doing here?" Misaki asked.

"We came to visit!" said Rayume, "Why haven't you been coming to school?"

"I can't believe you live in this kind of high-class place!" exclaimed Sora.

"Uhh...why don't you guys come in." Misaki offered quietly, disappearing from the crack-like opening of the door.

Misaki waddled back to the couch, leaving her friends to close the door behind them.

"Welcome to my home!" Misaki introduced without turning around, embarrassment beginning to well up inside.

Her friends stood behind the couch, staring at the back of her head. Sakura squealed as she saw a picture of Misaki and Takumi at the Yumesaki Festival three years back. Sora turned to examine the large apartment and her eyes bulged.

"How's it been going with Kuuga-kun, Sakura?" Misaki asked, hoping to advert the topic from the one she knew they wanted to ask. She didn't want to hide it from her friends, she was just embarrassed.

"This...this place is HUGE! Are you sure this is an apartment?" Sora asked, amazed.

Sakura and Shizuko looked unfazed and Rayume just stared in silent awe. But as Sakura waltzed around the couch, her eyes bulged, even more than Sora's, when she saw Misaki. MIsaki blushed furiously.

"OH. MY. GOD. So that's why you haven't been coming to school!" Sakura squealed excitedly.

Sora and the silent Rayume ran around to see what it was. Rayume was the first one to say it.

"You're pregnant!" she exclaimed, "CONGRATULATIONS!"

"You'll be a great mother, Misaki!" Shizuko encouraged.

The five of them squished onto the couch and talked. Misaki explained why she hadn't told them, she and Takumi didn't want the attention. They asked her everything. What was it like to be pregnant? Was it a boy or a girl? How far along was she? They bombarded her with questions.

"Takumi's been reading a ton of baby books. That's why they're all stacked up over there. He looks so serious when he's reading that it's really funny!" Misaki said, "According to my mom, I'm quite big for 22 weeks, so I'm going to make an appointment with my doctor next week."

They talked, Sakura and Rayume, the only ones with some culinary talent made a quick dinner of pasta, of which Misaki finished three-and-a-half bowls. Misaki enjoyed having company over that wasn't her mother or Suzuna. It was mostly girl talk, which made her nervous. She was never good at talking about make-up or boys. It was there, talking awkwardly on the couch that they were found by Takumi four hours later.

"Looks like you got bored." he said leaning over the couch smirking. "I'm home!"

He bent over to give Misaki a quick kiss to her temple before going towards their room and closing the door. Sora looked like she was going to faint, and suddenly had hearts for eyes. Rayume and Sakura giggled at Sora's fan-like face. They were having a pleasant time, but It was pretty late. Sakura took a quick glance at the clock.

"Okay guys, let's leave the love-birds alone. It's late. Time to go home." Sakura shooed.

The four of them headed towards the door. Misaki was barely able to follow them. She waddled towards them, gave them quick hugs promised them they'd be invited to the baby shower, on which Takumi insisted.

"Come again, guys!" Misaki smiled, closing the door in front of her.

A hand came to lean against the door from behind her. Turning her head, she saw Takumi, sighing. He looked tired. She turned fully to let him rest his forehead on her left shoulder. She wrapped her arms around is waist to cling to his back.

"Get some sleep. We've got a long week ahead." Misaki said gently.

"It's not school or work. It's you. I just can't stop worrying." he admitted, "I don't want to leave you alone."

"Okay, then how about we go to sleep." she offered.

"Sleep sounds nice." Takumi said, closing his eyes.

Together, they went back to the bedroom. Takumi laid Misaki gently on the bed before getting in next to her. She was already asleep. He lightly rubbed her swollen abdomen. He loved her so much. When he first realized it, he didn't expect to get married to her, let alone be having their first child together. He was glad he could break her hatred towards men. He pulled the covers over the both of them and wrapped his arms around her, tucking her head in beneath his. That's how he fell asleep not long afterward.


	6. SEPTEMBER Part 2: Happy Birthday

Misaki was sleepy. She rolled over a bit so that she was lying on her right side. Her left hand came to rest on her bulging stomach. It rumbled unpleasantly and she sighed, pulling the covers over her head to block out the sun. Ever since she'd taken her leave from work about a month ago, she'd gotten easily bored and hungry. Misaki also found that, though there were less mood swings recently, she'd began to develop an odd taste in food. Just the other day, she made Takumi cook pasta with strawberry jam and gummy bears. Although it had tasted good...to her at least...Takumi was starting to get a little freaked out with her imagination. Misaki sighed, it was probably only 8 in the morning. She could sleep in a little longer, she gazed tiredly at the calendar on the bedside table and practically screamed in panic.

**Today's Date: September 29.**

_Holy Crap!_ Misaki sat up in a hurry. _It's my birthday!_ It took a full 10 seconds for it to register in her mind before Misaki practically jumped out of bed and opened the bedroom door. She couldn't find him. Where was he? _Where'd the idiot go? _She wondered.

* * *

Meanwhile, across town...

"YO! BROTHER-IN-LAW!"

Takumi nearly dropped the pile of pans in his arms at the call. "Ahh." he responded, putting the pans down on the kitchen table. "BE RIGHT THERE!" He called running towards the living room.

"Yes, Suzuna?" he asked, entering the room.

"First off," she said, lifting her head, "How does this look?"

She raised a homemade banner by her fingertips. It was a bright green decorated in shining blue letters that spelled 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY MISAKI' on it.

"Looks nice." he replied honestly. "What's second?"

"Second," she continued, placing the banner back on the table, "I've got your shoes out in front of the door and your coat's hanging on the chair by the entrance."

Takumi sighed, amused. "What're you trying to do? Kick me out? We have a ton more stuff to unpack."

"No." she answered calmly. "But one glance at the clock and you'll have already made a mad dash for the car."

"Eh?" Takumi turned to look at the analog clock hanging on the wall above the TV. **8:13 am**. He was doomed.

Before Suzuna could say 'bye, good luck' or 'Don't get hit, bruises don't look good on camera', Takumi grabbed his coat, shoved his feet into his sneakers and was sitting in the driver's seat getting the car started in a millisecond. _Shit!_ he panicked, driving down the street at the speed limit. _ Misaki's probably awake by now. Oh man, am I going to get the living shit beaten out of me when I get back.

* * *

_

Misaki was extremely bored. She'd eaten almost everything out of the top two shelves of the fridge and was on her way back for more. Little did she know that as she was rummaging through the fridge, Takumi made his way into the apartment. She didn't notice him sneak up behind her as she pulled out a container filled with leftover pudding. Silently, Takumi wrapped his arms around her from behind causing her to yelp in surprise and drop the round container.

"Happy Birthday, Misaki!" he congratulated, kissing her on the cheek.

"Takumi!" she gasped in realization. "Geez, where have you been?"

Instead of answering, Takumi noticed the sudden lack of food in the fridge.

"Just how long have you been awake?" he asked. "Half the food is gone."

"Ehehe...I've been up for about an hour. My stomach woke me up."

A worried expression fluttered over Takumi's face. "Are you okay or-"

"I'm fine." she cut him off. "I was just hungry. That's all."

"Okay then. Go get changed, we're going out."

Takumi waited silently in the living room as Misaki changed. He heard the door to their room open and he turned. Out came Misaki in black three-quarter pants and a long green shirt. She looked extremely frustrated. Takumi gave her a curious look.

"What's up?" he asked nonchalantly.

Misaki blew a strand of hair from her face. "Ever since these two started growing, this bulge had given me more problems than I can count."

Takumi couldn't hold back his laughter. He cracked up as soon as she finished saying that. Once he felt her glare on him, he tried to calm down, wiping away tears of laughter.

"Okay." He snickered, standing up. "Lets go."

As they walked out of the apartment, Misaki slapped his shoulder...hard.

"You try carrying two babies for nine months straight and then we'll see if you're still laughing."

* * *

Once in the car, Misaki reluctantly let Takumi blindfold her before they drove off. Just as Misaki thought they were about to reach their destination, Takumi would take an unexpected turn, obviously taking detours to confuse her. When the car finally stopped, Takumi carefully helped Misaki out of the car. He held her in front of her surprise and began to speak.

"Okay, Misaki, we're here." he moved to hold down her hands with one of his own so she wouldn't take off the blindfold. "I'm going to pull off the blindfold in 3...2...1.."

In a flash, the blindfold was ripped from her view and the sun turned her vision white. Misaki brought a hand up to block some sunlight and colour slowly returned to vision. What she saw made her tear up in happiness. She turned to Takumi.

"Is this...is this why I wan't allowed to visit all this time?" she asked.

Takumi only nodded, grinning brightly. Misaki turned her eyes back to the wonderful sight. There in front of her was the home she grew up in. The gate had been replaced, and the wooden patio and front door were new. The walls had been repainted in a beautiful shade of beige and the roof had been redone.

"Wait until you see inside." He grinned. "Not everything has been unpacked yet, so there are still some boxes lying around, but it's beautiful."

They went inside, and sat in the living room. Minako had already prepared a cake and the four of them spent the day in the new house. By the end of the day, Misaki was so overwhelmed. She always worried about whether or not her mom and sister would be able to stay in this house. This home filled with memories was always falling apart in the past, but not anymore. And Misaki was going to make sure it would last. As they left in the evening, before the got in the car, Misaki grabbed onto Takumi's sleeve, stopping him from opening her door.

"Thank you." was all she said. Even with tears coursing down her face, Misaki's smile outshined it by far.


	7. DECEMBER: Baby Shower

The house smelled like cake. There were coloured streamers everywhere and a huge 'CONGRATULATIONS' banner in the foyer. Suzuna was blowing up balloons and tossing them around. It was just them three girls, Misaki, Suzuna and Minako, and Takumi. Suzuna and Misaki sat in the living room, the TV playing the Sunday morning cartoons. Minako was in the kitchen, whipping up whatever desserts she knew how to make. Takumi was busy baking a cake, thus the source of the inviting smell. He and Minako often made meals together, a sort of mother-in-law/son-in-law bonding time. It was early, around eight-thirty in the morning. They were preparing for the baby shower that afternoon. Misaki was 32 weeks along with twins. When they found out, Takumi had freaked and suddenly became even more protective than before.

Misaki and Suzuna were sitting side-by-side on the tatami mats on the living room floor. They were laughing at the cartoons, blowing up balloons and tossing them around. They were having a lot of fun. It wasn't often that they had big gatherings like the one they were about to have. Once ready, Takumi and Minako put the food away in the fridge and the four of them settled down in the living room to continue watching cartoons. Takumi sat with his arms around Misaki. She was blushing, madly. Suzuna and Minako sat on the low cushioned couch behind them. It was calm and everyone was relaxed. Misaki was starting to get tired a lot, but she tried her best to stay awake. Just as the super hamburger defeated the evil mouldy veggieburger, her stomach felt as if it had been whacked.

"Ouch." she winced.

Takumi looked at her in concern, "What's wrong?" he asked lightly.

"Nothing, the babies are a little high on energy, today. They've been kicking most of the morning." She explained, smiling. "Here," she motioned for his hand.

Taking his free hand, Misaki placed it on top of her bulging stomach. Takumi could feel the pressure from when they kicked. Four little feet were thumping inconsistently from within her womb. Suzuna tilted her head curiously and was about to speak when Minako touched a hand to Suzuna's shoulder and shook her head, index finger to her lips. It was such an intimate moment Minako didn't dare disturb them. Takumi smiled blissfully and he placed a kiss to her temple. _Ouch_, Misaki winced again.

"Hey, Mom, did Suzuna and I give you this much trouble when you carried us?" she asked, amused.

"I wouldn't know." Minako replied, laughing, "I never carried twins."

They laughed, chatted and just relaxed until after lunch, when people started showing up. The first ones were Sakura, Kuuga and Shizuko, and then came Satsuki-san and Aoi. Takumi nearly fell over in shock when Igarashi Tora, Maki Kanade and Miyazono Maria arrived in a grand entrance with enough gifts to fill up half Minako's living room. Misaki laughed hysterically when Tora showed her the truck filled with boxes of two cribs and a bunch of toys and clothes. Soon after Hinata, Yukimura and Kanou showed up. All except for Hinata were a little nervous, not knowing what would happen once they stepped onto the demon's domain. Then Sora and Rayume came, bringing brightly wrapped gifts in their hands. Than last but not least came Erika, Subaru and Honoka with a stockpile of bags. Everyone was giddy. No matter how much the couple had denied their relationship in high school, everyone knew they'd end up together. Suzuna, in her passive amusement brought out the cake Takumi had made earlier.

"In celebration!" she called, "Of my two niece(s) and/or nephew(s)-to-be!"

Then she handed the knife to Takumi and Misaki. Misaki's hands were shaking so much until she felt Takumi wrap his hands around hers on the knife. His firm but gentle grip reminded her of why she was with him, why she loved him, that he would always be there for her. Takumi was just as nervous as she was. He never expected she would return his feelings. She was still a little stubborn and avoided most of his advances in public, but he convinced her to marry him and now they were having kids together. He kissed Misaki's cheek before they cut the cake. She exploded in embarrassment. Her face was horribly red. She was still blushing when he fed her the first piece of cake. She gulped it down before lifting a piece up for him to eat and shoved it unceremoniously into his mouth. Once he had swallowed the huge piece of cake, Misaki burst out laughing. Takumi smiled. He was lucky, Misaki's mood swings weren't as...adventurous as some people he knew. Hers usually twined between hilarity and seriousness. The humorous moment was broken by Tora.

"Okay people! Now comes the main course!" he pointed towards Kanade, "Take it away, Maki!"

At the snap of his fingers, servants brought in a table, setting it with dishes especially made from the Maki Steward Coffee Lounge. Kanade smiled.

"Eat up people! Dinner's on me."

Dinner was delicious and everyone was laughing and making conversation. Takumi managed to sneak a few kisses from Misaki when others were busy and when all was done, Misaki had to be dragged away because she insisted on doing the dishes. Then Minako and Suzuna kicked everyone out of the kitchen and did the cleaning and packing themselves. The living room was packed. Everyone sat together. The TV had to be pushed aside and the radio was turned on, serving only as background noise. As they chatted away, Misaki winced.

"Oh geez!" she placed a hand on her bulging stomach and looked straight at it. "Can you give me a break? Please?" she asked in amused pain.

"Are you okay Misaki?" Sakura asked, worried.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. But these little ones," she said stroking her abdomen, "are quite hyper today. They won't stop kicking me. I've been awake since 4:30. Also, because of these ones, all I can think about is having ice-cream with baloney and broccoli and cheese...with some extra salt."

All the people in the room exchanged somewhat confused, amused or grossed out looks.

"Oh, come on, guys!" Misaki tried to convince them. "Its actually pretty good once you get used to it."

Simultaneously, everybody shook their heads and made gagging motions. They all gave Misaki looks that clearly said they were weirded out by her odd food interests. Misaki looked at them blankly for a full ten seconds...long enough to make everyone nervous, before she completely burst into laughter. Her laugh was really contagious. The first to follow in her footsteps of madness was Takumi. Unable to contain his amusement, he bust up in fits of laughter only seconds after Misaki. The next was Sakura, who started off with a few light giggles and was joined by Kuuga before they delved together into the insane world of laughter. Soon Shizuko, Rayume and Sora were rolling on the floor, laughing silently, tears dripping from their eyes from all the laughter. Next thing they knew, everyone had cracked up and laughed like maniacs. It was just as the maniacal sounds of happiness were dying down that Suzuna and Minako emerged from the kitchen. Minako took one look at them in their disheveled states and just had to ask;

"Just what happened here?"

Everyone took a momentary glance at each other before the laughter erupted once again.


	8. JANUARY Part 1: Surprise?

Takumi carefully watched Misaki as he drove down the road. They'd just finished up with her final check-up. She was tired, her eyelids drooping. Just about 36 weeks and with twins. She was lugging herself around everywhere. He'd barely let her leave the house since they found out she was carrying twins. She was always tired and it was hard for her to even get off the bed. She mostly sat on the couch all day, reading her gory and murder mysteries. He often scolded her on her taste in literature, but as long as she was happy, he was happy. He pulled into the parking lot and noticed a rather elderly man about to enter the doors of the apartment building. He was short and a little chubby and he seemed to be fighting with a few young girls. Two were yelling at him and another two were trying to hold him back from something but it didn't seem to be working. Oh well, it wasn't his business.

* * *

"Principal Toramusou, I'm telling you, Misaki-san is fine! There is nothing wrong." Sakura pleaded.

The principal looked displeased.

"I know something is up! Usui Misaki has missed more than a full semester this year! The reason for her leave didn't even seem valid. Leaving because of family issues doesn't cut it at my university." he stated.

"Principal, she does have family issues!" Rayume tried to reason, "I know she is a star pupil, on scholarship and everything, but shouldn't that be a reason to overlook her absence?"

"I refuse to accept this absurdly long leave until I confirm things myself!" Principal Toramusou said, yanking his arm out of Sora's grip.

He walked through the front doors of the apartment building, pulling along Shizuko, who refused to let go.

* * *

Takumi and Misaki exited the elevator. They were discussing names and the atmosphere was rather relaxed and sleepy. Misaki, who couldn't walk without tripping over her own feet, had an arm around Takumi's left shoulder, leaning her head on his right. Then yelling was heard.

"Principal, please! You can't enter!"

"If you even come near the door, I'm calling 911!"

"This is a violation of privacy!"

"Principal Toramusou! Dare you take one more step forward; I will rip my clothes and scream 'PERVERT'. I'm sure the people who live here wouldn't appreciate a dirty old man causing commotion in their building."

Misaki was now fully awake. Toramusou Imoto, Ishimoto University's principal. As she and Takumi stepped into view, Sakura noticed them, her eyes frantic with worry.

"MISAKI!" she yelled running towards them.

Principal Toramusou turned swiftly to take a look at the student who had abandoned her studies for seemingly trivial reasons. Rayume stood behind him, still guarding the entrance to their apartment with her arms spread out. Sora was holding her phone, ready to dial 911 at any time. Shizuko had cowered against the door of the apartment, her back pressed against the handle and lock. As the principal took a look at his star pupil, his mouth dropped open at two points. One, she was pregnant. Two, she was with Usui Takumi, the top student in their university's culinary program. He was shocked speechless. Takumi, on the other hand, was finding this incredibly amusing.

"Would you like to come in, Toramusou-san?" he offered.

* * *

There was an awkward silence that covered the apartment. Shizuko and Sakura were sitting beside Misaki, who was sitting on the matching beige love seat in the living room, to keep her company. Sora and Rayume stood somewhat inconspicuously behind the principal who sat in the kitchen with Takumi. Takumi was silent, face emotionless as he served the tea. The steaming tea let out an inappropriately inviting smell considering the circumstances. As Takumi was about to pull up a chair across from principal Toramusou, the doorbell rang. _What bad timing._ Takumi groaned inwardly. The bell rang again and again, somehow singing the tune of jingle bells. _Must be Suzuna._ As if taking the words right out of his mouth, Misaki called from the living room.

"It's probably Mom and Suzuna, I'll get it."

"Don't worry, I'll get it! You just sit right there!" He called back. Takumi spared a curious glance back at the principal as he walked out of the kitchen.

Principal Toramusou was horribly pale. He was in shock and didn't know what he was supposed to say in this situation. He heard the door open. Leaning back, he saw a middle-aged woman and a high-school girl with two pigtails. Both looked similar to his student in different ways. The girl's eyes lit up as she entered the apartment.

"Misaki! How's it going? We brought your lifesavers-broccoli-cheddar-apple-truffle trifle!"

"Your a lifesaver Suzuna! I'm starving." Misaki-san laughed from the living room.

The principal blocked out the rest of the useless conversation. Usui Takumi and The middle-aged woman were talking in hushed whispers by the door. She had a frown on her face. She whispered one last thing to Takumi before pointing towards the living room. Takumi sighed and half-heartedly raised his hands in defeat, walking off in the direction she'd pointed. The woman smiled for half-a-second before settling, once again, into a deep-set frown. She turned her head towards where he was and walked into the kitchen.

"Excuse me, are you Misaki's friends?" The woman asked, addressing the girls standing behind him. "I'm her mother. Could you please wait outside?"

The two girls, suddenly intimidated by the pressuring aura, left the kitchen. Minako stared intently at principal. He tried not to feel intimidated, but he was dealing with the mother of Seika's demon council president...guess she wasn't so vulnerable after all.

* * *

Sakura was weeping. She'd tried explaining what happened, but she had burst into sobs at the thought of it. She was huddled behind the couch with Rayume trying to soothe her. Shizuko explained the situation to Takumi discreetly, knowing that Misaki, who was talking enthusiastically with Suzuna and Sora, was listening seriously to it all. The awkwardly meshed atmosphere was broken by the loudest slap they'd ever heard. Misaki leapt to her feet and waddled over to the kitchen, Takumi supporting her, Suzuna speeding ahead of them.

"Mom?" Misaki called out.

The scene before them was not what they expected. Principal Toramusou was standing, his left hand cradling his roughly slapped cheek. The evil aura spilling from her mother was deadly. Minako pointed to the door with a straight finger.

"Out." she commanded, "Get out and never come back!"

Principal Toramusou walked towards the door and left without a word, but his face was full of remorse and guilt. What Minako had said, no one could guess. Especially after she turned around, her evil surroundings suddenly turning bright and happy.

"Now then," Minako continued, "how 'bout we eat some of that trifle!"


	9. JANUARY Part 2: Hospital Wait

Misaki shuffled under the covers of the bed as Takumi came from the bathroom. She stuck her bookmark in her book and left it on the bedside table. Takumi plopped down on the other side of the bed and sighed.

"That was...long." he sighed, referring to the principal's visit that afternoon.

"More like that old bastard was trying to find a reason to expel me." Misaki replied, demons returning.

Takumi just laughed. He flicked off the light and laid down under the covers.

"Good Night, Misa." he said.

"Mmhmm, night Takumi." she mumbled trying to find a comfortable position.

* * *

"Ta...Takumi? Takumi! Help, it hurts! Takumi!"

Takumi was awakened by Misaki pulling desperately at his shirt. He quickly turned to check the time; 5:04am. He leaned towards her. She was breathing heavily, nearly panting, her left hand clutching her pajama top. It was then Takumi noticed the warmth on the sheets as if something had spilled. Misaki was in so much pain, when she tried to talk, his name came out in a shaky whisper. Takumi already knew what was happening. He panicked. Takumi ran and changed into a t-shirt and a pair of jeans before grabbing the car keys and shoving them into his pocket. He lifted Misaki up off the bed slowly. She looked at him desperately, scared. He shushed her as he hurried as fast as he could, with her in his arms, to the car.

He drove like a maniac. his headlights on full blast, honking at whoever got in his way. When they got to the hospital, Takumi rushed her in through the emergency door and yelled for help. It all passed in a blur to him. A nurse noticed him and Misaki and immediately called for help, quickly rolling a wheelchair over to them. As she wheeled Misaki to the maternity ward, he remembered following rather silently, except for the occasional reassurance when Misaki called for him. He remembered she wouldn't let go of his hand until half-way through the procedure when they asked him to leave the room.

So here he was, at 7 in the morning on January 28, Usui Takumi, waiting outside the birthing room of the maternity ward. He was in a panic, pacing back and forth. There were light shadows under his eyes, having not had even a wink of sleep in the two hours he'd been waiting. Misaki's pleas were playing over and over again. He could hear her calling for him desperately as he slept. He finally resolved to sit down as Minako and a sleepy Suzuna rushed down the hallway.

"Takumi-kun!" Minako called frantically.

Takumi looked up at her, helpless. He felt like he was going to cry with worry.

"Minako-san, I..I don't know what to do! They won't let me see her!"

Both Minako and Suzuna exchanged worried looks. They'd never seen Takumi like this. He was desperately clinging to Minako's shoulders. He wasn't his calm and composed self, he was panicking, worrying, probably more than they were. Minako sat him down again, sitting beside him, reassuring him.

Suzuna was standing by the shaded door of the birthing room, hoping she'd see something. Her sister was strong. She was hard-working, smart, devious, virtuous, encouraging, helpful, compassionate, strict, naïve and ignorant. Of course, those last two changed after she met Takumi-kun. He'd always been calm, teasing her sister from afar and up close. She remembered Misaki telling her he'd already confessed several times before she had. And the day he proposed, Misaki had come home stunned, grinning somewhat like an idiot. But now, she had never pictured Takumi-kun so flustered. Suzuna already knew how much he loved Misaki, but somewhere in the back of her mind, not being able to see past his calm exterior, she'd doubted him...until now.

Takumi looked like he was on the verge of tears. His hands were threaded furiously through his hair. Minako had a hand soothingly rubbing his back. She also looked a little frightened. Minako knew what it was like to give birth, she'd done it twice. Even Suzuna was a little nervous. Misaki had been incredibly nervous when she found out she was pregnant. When she and Takumi told them, Minako practically threw a feast, stuffing Misaki's face full of sweets. Suzuna leaned back against the dark glass, chewing impatiently on her thumb-nail. She pressed her ear curiously to the shaded glass and she heard it, the muffled wailing of a baby. The sudden wail made her spring away from the glass, gaining the attention of Takumi and Minako. Suzuna was so overwhelmed with emotion, she couldn't say anything. She opened her mouth, but no words came out and the tears streamed down her face. Takumi looked at her curiously, worried. Suzuna dropped to her knees in relief and as she turned her head to Takumi, her mouth closed in a hopeful smile. It was about twenty minutes later that Dr Tanaka came out of the room.

"Usui-san?" she called.

Dr Tanaka's blue scrubs were stained with smears of blood. Her once neatly tied hair was, though still tied, in a horrible mess. She was no longer wearing shoes, her white socks stained with red splotches. Her eyes looked tired. She was bumped out of the way as two nurses wheeled out carts of bloodied cloths and tools. Dr Tanaka, exhausted, excused herself as they passed by. Takumi was nearly shaking at the sight of all the blood and Minako had covered Suzuna's eyes. approached Takumi a little sluggishly and smiled brightly.

"Congratulations Usui-san! You are now the proud father of two little girls." she said slapping his back with her sweaty hand. "Misaki-san is sleeping right now. She suffered a few complications and lost a lot of blood. We'll keep her here for about a week and start her on blood transfusions and supplement pills to see how things go. You can go in, but don't disturb her. She was very brave you know. We ran out of anesthesia towards the end. She must have been in lots of pain, but no matter what, she refused to scream."

Before she could finish, Takumi ran past her into the room. Minako stood up to follow but Dr Tanaka held her down gently, shaking her head.

* * *

The first thing Takumi saw was Misaki deeply asleep on the hospital bed. He walked up to her silently and brought his still shaking hands to her her cheeks, pressing a lingering kiss to her sleeping lips and a relieved one to her temple. There were still some small stains of red at the foot of the bed and her mouth tasted like blood. Takumi smiled nervously. She was okay. There were no permanent injuries, Misaki was just exhausted. He sighed a great breath of relief, before turning towards the foot of the bed. Despite the nervousness that welled up inside of him, it was overpowered by the excitement and giddiness.

He then anxiously approached the two cribs by the foot of the bed. Two little girls, each swaddled in a soft pink blanket, were sleeping peacefully. He brushed one of their cheeks softly with side of his knuckles other hand on the other's crib. They looked so fragile. They had Misaki's raven-black hair and his tanned complexion, which was barely discernible with the pinkness of blood flowing beneath their skin. He'd apparently disturbed the one who's cheek he stroked, causing her to wake up. She looked at his surprised and slightly flustered face with big amber eyes and giggled.

"Hey there." Takumi's lips pulled into a lopsided grin.

He picked her up in his arms gently and she continued to laugh. He tried to shush her, hoping she wouldn't wake up her mother. Misaki didn't wake up, instead her sister awoke from her light slumber. Takumi only caught a flash of her green eyes before she started crying. He panicked. He shifted the girl he was holding to one arm and picked up the other one. He tried to calm her, but only succeeded in making both of them cry. _Oh man,_ he thought frantically, _What do I do!

* * *

_

Misaki awoke groggily. She sat up slowly, looking around the room. Her mom and Suzuna were sleeping on the floor in the corner, back-to-back. She saw the cribs at the foot of the bed and looked in only to find them, _Empty._ She panicked and whipped her head to survey the missing corner of the room. What she saw made her heart swell with love. Takumi was sleeping in the armchair, the girls cradled in his arms, also in slumber. She didn't know how long she watched them sleep before her mom awoke. Minako leaned Suzuna against the wall and snuck up unintentionally on Misaki.

"Beautiful sight, isn't it?" Minako whispered.

"Yeah," Misaki responded, at a loss for words.

Minako sat on the bed to face her daughter.

"You know, he had to ask three nurses, Tanaka-san and me before he could manage to quiet them down." Minako chuckled quietly. "He was quite determined to get them back to sleep by himself and refused all physical help. He's going to be a wonderful father, Misa. Let them sleep, it's only been about two-three hours."

Misaki smiled, then yawned.

"Maybe I'll get some more sleep too."

"Oh no you don't!" came Suzuna's sleepy voice. "Do you know how many awkward expressions I pulled my face muscles into just worrying about you? So much it still hurts. You are going to tell me everything that happened." she yawned, rubbing her eyes.

Misaki and Minako exchanged humorously gruesome faces.

"I don't think so." they declined simultaneously.

The three of them sat around for a while talking until the circulating nurse came in. When she saw Takumi holding the twins she understood the reason for their hushed voices.

"I'm sorry, but we have to check some post-birth stats. Do you think we'll be able to get your husband to let go of them?" the nurse asked, whispering.

When the nurse tried to pry off his hands, she couldn't. Misaki laughed.

"Unfortunately, he's got an incredibly strong grip."

The bubbling laughter of the room cause Takumi to stir. His voice hummed slightly as he opened his eyes. He looked down at his sleeping girls and smiled, then up at Minako.

"They're still sleeping. How long has it been?" he asked.

The nurse was going to say something, but Suzuna just slapped a hand over her mouth and glared good-naturedly at her.

"About three hours. How's your head? Any pain?" Minako asked, referring to the headache he'd received from the constant crying.

"Nonexistent." Takumi assured, standing up slowly as not to disturb the babies in his arms.

He walked over to Misaki and placed a quick kiss to her lips in front of everyone. Misaki's face reddened faster than Rudolph's nose could light up.

"Good morning!" Takumi greeted.

Minako suddenly tore a page out of Satsuki's book and practically pulled the nurse and Suzuna out of the room. Takumi sat on the side of the bed. Misaki held out her arms nervously.

"Can I hold them...one of them at least?" she asked, smiling insecurely. "I'm not sure I can handle both right now."

He just laughed happily at her in return. He handed over one of them, showing her how Dr Tanaka told him how to hold them. Misaki cradled the child in her arms, stroking her hair. Takumi leaned down and pressed their foreheads together, but she didn't take her eyes off the little baby girl she was holding. He adjusted the infant in his arms slightly before whispering to her.

"She has your eyes. They're both incredibly stubborn, just like Ayuzawa. Congratulations, Okaa-san."

She looked up at him, the tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

"I love you, Idiot Usui." she choked out.

"I love you too, Pres." he said, cradling her face in his empty hand.

He kissed her, passionately, conveying all the wonderful emotions he felt. When they pulled away, the little amber-eyed girl in Misaki's arms was looking up at them, giggling and clapping. The two of them leaned down to greet the happy infant. They smiled gently at her as she lightly caught Takumi's nose between her tiny hands. Then two more hands came to try and grab the moving ones. That's how they noticed the other one was awake. The tiny green-eyed baby didn't smile. She seemed to purposely tilt her head a bit as she examined her parents and sister. Misaki and Takumi laid them down between them on the bed. The two sisters whacked each others' hands as if playing a hand game. The confused expression on their faces made Misaki laugh. Unsuspectingly, while Misaki continued her mild fit of laughter, Takumi leaned towards her and pulled her once again into a sweet kiss. It was simple and chaste. All they conveyed to each other was their love for each other and their new family.

The two of them were never going to let go of each other. Never.


	10. Epilogue

Misaki awoke to the sound of laughter coming from beyond the bedroom door. Yawning, she pulled the covers down to her waist. After a long nights sleep, she felt refreshed. She'd only been home for a week, but the girls didn't seem to like their room. Apparently, the clown lamp they'd received from Tora made them cry every time they saw it. Misaki didn't want to throw it out so they gave it to Sakura, who was suddenly developing a love of the circus. Curious about all the noise, Misaki tied her hair back and opened the door. She was immediately assaulted by moe flowers.

The behind the living room couch, a group of five mops of hair were visible. One was brown, two were blond and two were black. They were all sitting in a circle on the floor. Through the giggling and whispering, one blond girl stood announcing that she had to go to the bathroom. Misaki immediately recognized the boy, curly blond wig and frilly pink dress distinct from the rest as she approached.

"Aoi?" Misaki exclaimed.

The party of girls, turned to greet the surprised voice, revealing themselves to be the Maid*Latte staff.

"What are you all doing here?" she asked approaching them. Then she saw what they were gathered around. In the middle on a soft baby blanket, Koemi and Akiyo were sleeping peacefully. "Came to see them?"

"Of course!" Satuski gushed standing from her place on the floor.

Overly hyper, she ran forward and engulfed Misaki in a hug. "We didn't get a chance to see you while you were in the hospital so we all came by to visit!" Misaki took in a shallow breath, about to speak, but Satsuki interrupted her. "They are so cute! But I can't tell which one is Koemi and which one is Akiyo, AND I REALLY WANT TO PLAY WITH THEM! They've been asleep for the whole two hours we've been here!" she gushed.

"Sa-Satsuki-san." Misaki exhaled, "I can't breathe."

"Oh." Satsuki realized, releasing the girl from her grip. "Oopsie."

The girl laughed at Misaki's flush expression.

"Tch. Weird woman." Aoi scoffed. "Here."

Aoi stuffed a package into Misaki's arms and scurried off towards the bathroom. Misaki stared confused at the boxless wrapping of pink bubble cellophane and white bows.

"Open it, open it!" Satsuki urged enthusiastically, receiving amused looks Subaru and Erika. Honoka on the other hand, looked almost...jealous.

Misaki untied the white bow and the cellophane wrapping fell open. Misaki nearly choked on her saliva in surprise. Inside were two small dresses. One an amber-brown, the other a fresh green. Both were covered in frilly white lace.

"What the-"

"You'd better make them wear those." Aoi commanded, returning to her spot on the floor. "And I want pictures as evidence of my greatness in creating these beautiful designs."

Misaki let a small puff of laughter slip, earning a glare from Aoi before she cracked up, almost dropping the gift. Gently, she set the dresses on the couch and leaned over to watch her daughters sleep.

"So, which one is which?" Erika asked.

"The one on the left, is Akiyo, she has my eyes." She snuck a brief glance at Aoi before continuing. "The one on the right is Koemi, she has Takumi's eyes."

"Speaking of Takumi," Misaki realized. "where is the pervert?"

"In the kitchen, making lunch." Aoi sulked blandly.

"LUNCH?" They watched as Misaki headed off towards the brightly lit kitchen.

It was silent for a few minutes, just enough time for the Maid*Latte staff to get back to staring at the sleeping girls. Then the commotion started. There was a slap, followed by a mildly embarrassed exclamation of "PERVERTED ALIEN!" Which was followed by a long annoyed ramble from Misaki, which was, eventually, cut off mid-sentence. And so the silence returned.

"Just like back then." Subaru giggled, turning her head in the direction of the kitchen.

"Those two haven't changed at all." Erika added.

"Ah, young love." Satsuki sighed. It was just loud enough.

"SATSUKI-SAN!" Misaki was heard above Takumi's laughing fit.

"Lets just hope," Aoi assured she had everyone's attention. "that these girls don't grow up to be as weird as them."

"AOI!" Misaki yelled exasperated.

At that, everyone cracked up.

"Yeah," Erika giggled. "lets hope."


	11. Sequel: It All Depends

For all of you who have read this story and enjoyed it, please check out the sequel!

Its called "It All Depends". Here is the summary;

_3 years have gone by peacefully. Suzuna has left for University in Okinawa. The Usui family has ditched the small apartment and returned to the Ayuzawa home. The two rambunctious girls are growing up healthy and strong. So when the family is invited to Gerard Walker's wedding in London, issues are quick to arise. Having to deal with a supporting but obnoxious elder half-brother, convincing a grandfather who hates their guts that their lives are none of his business and keeping the girls out of trouble proves to be harder than anticipated. So why did they have to deal with all this? Why did things have to go wrong now?_

Don't hesitate to criticize stuff and add comments! Anything is welcome :)

Miko xD


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